Dame Anna is reported to have told staff at publisher Condé Nast of her decision to hand over the reins of the flagship publication but her influence will linger as she will remain as Condé Nast’s global chief content officer and global editorial director at Vogue.

Condé Nast will now seek a new "head of editorial content" for Vogue, which was transformed under Wintour's leadership. Wintour arrived as Editor-in-Chief at the publication from British Vogue in 1988 (she had previously had a stint a the US edition from 1985 to 1987) and immediately made waves by putting an informal image of a model Michaela Bercu wearing jeans on the front cover, albeit she was also wearing a wearing a highly embellished Christian Lacroix sweater. The story goes that the printer called the publisher to check whether the cover was truly intentional and not a mistake before putting ink to paper.

Wintour was also at the forefront of the blending of celebrity and fashion, putting actresses, instead of models, on the cover before this move became mainstream. She also made history by putting First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover in 2009 and demonstrated her instinct for popular culture by landing a cover with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2014. The cover went viral and also heralded Kardashian's acceptance into the fashion pantheon.

Wintour's power extended way beyond the editorial content. She held huge sway with advertisers and major fashion houses, who turned to her for advice on collections and major appointments, and she was a tireless supporter of up and coming talent. Outside of Vogue, her most high profile role is as co-chair of the annual Met Gala, which she transformed from a fairly staid fund raiser into the most glamorous gathering of fashion figures, showbiz A-listers and tastemakers in the world.

Her replacement at Vogue will not be known as Editor-in-Chief but rather head of editorial content, in line will other editorial leads at the major international editions of Vogue as Condé Nast seeks to assert more editorial control from its NY HQ. Some have criticised Condé Nast's decision not to appoint individual editors to the major international editions (a move made four years ago) arguing that it has suppressed the individual identities of each of the publications. Quite how much autonomy the new head of editorial content will have, with Wintour still in role as global editorial director, remains to be seen. However there can be no question it will still be seen as a plum role in publishing.

Publishing brands that will remain under Wintour's purview include GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, AD, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appétit, Tatler, World of Interiors and Allure. Freeing her from day to day control of Vogue will enable Wintour, who is 75, to spread her time across all of the publications.

Dame Anna Wintour was born in London in 1949 and is the daughter of the former editor of the London Evening Standard Charles Wintour, considered to be one of the best editors and journalists of his generation. Her first role in fashion was at legendary fashion store BIBA and she was determined to make a career for herself in fashion publishing. Her first role in the field was as editorial assistant at Harper's & Queens in 1970 but she always had New York in her sight and moved there soon after. She briefly returned to edit British Vogue in the mid-1980s but when the US role came up she returned to NYC where she has been at the heart of culture, high society and fashion ever since.

She is, however, a proud Brit and royalist and was made a Dame of the British Empire by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2017.

Main image: Dame Anna Wintour attends the opening of Printemps New York, March 2025. Erik Pendzich / Alamy Stock Photo